Vermillion: Seeking

"Areya you're too kind, thank you. But if you need any help, don't hesitate."

Areya gave a charming grin and everyone went off to their rooms separately, dreaming of demons and their fickle ways.

In the morning everyone met downstairs for breakfast, some returned to the halls, some to the dining room, and others went wandering about the manor. Before jotting off to the festival Luna, Dom, Brina, Nick, and Alex sat outside on the second floor balcony looking over the calm pond and hearing the crisp leaves shuffle in the wind as they ate.

"What happened to Areya?" Brina asked.

"She's upset with me." Alex said grumbling into his coffee mug "She's speaking with Lord Mason about the request."

"I'm sorry, Alex. Your mother's just very...close with you. I can get Mason to spill to me if you want."

"No...not that I don't appreciate it. All last night I was hearing little purring noises when I went to bed. Poor Midnight."

"Midnight, your ex's cat?" Luna raised an eyebrow "You had a premonition?"

Alex nodded "She's moved on, Luna."

"Oh...I'm sorry?" Luna looked at Nick who just nodded in return "I know she was close to Rumi."

"She really was. Now I'm going to have to talk her out of depression when we get back, it may take months, possibly years. That wasn't the strange thing though."

Dom bit into his toast before daring to ask "What was strange?"

"Well I thought with Sirus being here and the thing with Lynx that that would be what occupied my thoughts last night. But the entire time as I slept I heard whispers."

"Whispers of spirits maybe?" Nick watched Alex calmly place the mug on the table, his eyes were almost lifeless "Alex?"

"Whispers on the wind about the seer and when I met up with the other guests today, some of them brought up the man with the silver eye. That my eyes reminded them of his myth or story..I've felt warm all morning."

Brina took her palm and placed it on Alex's forehead "Hm, you could have a fever from stress."

"But I'm not stressed, yes I messed up and I took matters into my own hands on a feeling, however the only one that seems to be taking it hard is my mother. And she can understand it, she just doesn't like it."

Nick knew there was something off, nothing perverse, but something weird with Areya and her son. Alex was talkative sure, and was random, but he had a bit of darkness in him. Nick picked it up immediately after meeting the newborn who arrived eight months after his mother moved into Verdure.

Areya always had a light presence, and earthy core when it came to magic. Alex had a similar core, parts of it was shrouded in a dark cloak that was hard to penetrate. Alex also seemed more sensitive to visions, feelings, auras, and knowing of other's intentions, past, present, and possible future.

Alex was mostly cheerful about it, but Nick knew that the visions took a toll on him. He had struggled during adolescence and was now able to shrug it off as a small pain or a dizzy spell. He grew under Nick's distant eye as everyone else did, Alex was now altering form and that worried the king. Hopefully he'd keep his head above water.

"Areya will understand if you talk with her. Not slam the door in her face, be firm, not aggressive, get her to see your point of view. All it takes is nerve, Alex."

Alex rubbed his face "I know. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be complaining so much especially on your vacation."

"It's no bother, you won't be going off for this request yet, so you might as well enjoy the morning with us. Wouldn't you agree Dominic?"

Dom who was drinking milk gulped hard before responding "Um, yes you're...a friend too." Dom didn't know if what he was saying was true or not, but just went with it.

"Right, so shopping and touring next, in the evening it's festival time." Luna cheered.

"You're too peppy on vacation." Dom groaned.

"Suck it up, Lurch, you could use a little pep in your life and I do mean besides Brina."

For half the day the group went around Romus to stores, shops, parks, even a museum and gallery. Nick and Luna seemed to be the only ones engrossed in the artwork, brush strokes, color, techniques, and visualization. The stop

to the galley felt more like a date than a group outing.

When the sun began to set the harsh orange soon faded into a dark sea that stars filled. The festival was in full effect and Luna was determined to have a good time by dragging everyone to nearly every booth. Nick actually ate from one of the booth's this year which had Dom staring at him strangely the rest of the night, Alex was still pining over Lynx, Dom was enjoying his time with Brina, and Luna was enraptured in her joy.

That night as everyone slept something passed throughout the empty hallways and corridors along the stairs to the second floor. It was something that Sirus could sense, but he decided to ignore it being as it wouldn't harm him in anyway. A blue light swept along through the air and stopped short of Alex's room.

It was in the shape of an orb that pressed against the heart of the door before pushing through to the other side where Alex slept calmly. The orb floated towards him quietly illuminating the bedspread. Alex could feel the coolness creep up his arm, but he had felt it before in the past. It could have been a wondering spirit, but he didn't feel like dealing with it, so he kept his eyes firmly shut in hopes that the feeling would die down.

The light started to fade out, but the feeling remained. The ball of light then did something quite strange, at least it would be to normal beings. It began to speak.

"Alexander." It hummed, the voice was light and echoed throughout the room "Alexander..."

Alex sighed opening his eyes in quick defeat "What?"

"The man with the silver eye beckons, he knows."

Alex rubbed his eyes yawning "What does he know?"

"The truth, about you, about Lynx, about Luna, and your mother as well."

"I think everyone knows Luna's truth."

"Most, but not all. The spirits are at unrest, but we can sense it deep inside you. We know that if you find this man things will realign and start to heal again."

Alex frowned "Why are spirits so damn cryptic? Unless Rumi's in trouble I do-

"It is the only way to save Lynx from her own destruction. And in the process you will finally know."

Alex groaned tiredly "What the hell is there to know?!"

"Your father is alive."

This was when Alex for once had no words, not a one. He pondered a single question after ten minutes of silence.

"Where's the man with the silver eye?"

To be continued...